Rotary toothbrush with continuous lip guard



March 9, 1954 D. P. GROVER ROTARY TOOTHBRUSH WITH CONTINUOUS LIP GUARD Filed NOV. 3, 1950 @MYWJ Patented Mar. 9, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,671,234 ROTARY TOOTHIIEIIIEUSH WITH CONTINUOUS GUARD Donald P. Grover, Chicago, 111.

Application November 3, 1950, Serial No. 193,842

4 Claims. (01. -23) This invention relates in general to rotary toothbrushes adapted to be operated by a source of electrical energy or other means of rotation and, particularly, to a type of rotary toothbrush adapted for personal use as distinguished from those commonly used by dentists. The present application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application, Serial No. 692,270, filed August 22, 1946, now Patent No. 2,533,108.

Various forms of electrically driven rotary toothbrushes have been developed heretofore, but have found very little favor with the public in general. One of the disadvantages of the early type of rotary toothbrush was the absence of any shield partially surrounding the brush element, thus causing some of the toothpaste on the brush to be thrown off and splattered about during the rotation of the brush and permitting the brush to contact the soft inner portions of the mouth causing irritation thereof.

A later development introduced a shield which extended lengthwise of and partially surrounded the rotating brush element to prevent such splattering and mouth irritation. However, actual usage of this type of brush proved unsatisfactory because of the tendency of the lip and/or soft fleshy mouth parts of the user to be drawn inwardly against the bristles of the brush and between the bristles and the edge of the shield when the brush was placed against the teeth.

I have been able to overcome the disadvantages of these earlier types of rotary toothbrushes in my present invention, the principal object of which is to provide a power driven rotary toothbrush having novel guard means to prevent the lip and soft fleshy mouth parts of the user from being pulled or drawn inwardly against the bristles of the brush element and being lacerated thereby during rotation thereof.

Another object of the invention is to provide a rotary toothbrush having a plurality of spaced guards along the length of the brush element and extending between the bristles thereon whereby the lip and soft fleshy mouth parts of the user is prevented from being pulled or drawn inwardly against the brush during rotation thereof.

A further object is to provide a rotary toothbrush having a shield thereon wherein lip guards in the form of thin wire members are located adjacent the brush element to thereby prevent the lip and soft fleshy mouth parts of the user from being drawn inwardly between the brush and the shield, thereby causing irritation or laceration.

Still another object is to provide a rotary toothbrush wherein a series of coiled wire members is spaced throughout the length of the brush element adjacent thereto whereby the lip or soft fleshy mouth portions of a user are prevented from being drawn inwardly against the brush.

A still further object is to provide a lip guard for a rotary toothbrush which consists of a single coil of wire extending lengthwise of the brush element and having one end thereof secured to the handle portion whereby the outer edges of the coiled wire will prevent the lip or soft fleshy mouth portions of a user from being irritated 0r lacerated by the brush.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon a reading of the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a rotary toothbrush embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an end elevational view thereof; and

Fig. 3 is a perspective view thereof with the brush element removed.

Briefly described, the invention herein consists primarily in the provision of guard means against which the lip of the user of the rotary toothbrush will ordinarly bear during the use thereof to guide or direct the lip to the outer side of the shield and thus prevent the lip from being drawn inwardly between the brush element and the shield. When the rotary brush is in use and placed against the teeth the brush element is usually designed to rotate in a manner to brush the teeth away from the gums, which is considered by dentists as the proper way to brush teeth. In actual practice where no lip guards are present, it has been found that brushes of this character disclosed in the prior art have a tendency to pull the lip inwardly against the bristles of the brush, and if a shield is present the tendency is to pull the lip between the brush and the edge of the shield. Serious injury to the lip may not necessarily result, but such an experience is decidedly unsatisfactory and unpleasant, discourages further use of the device by causing rawness and bleeding of the lip and has been considered the principal reason for the lack of commercial success of earlier rotary toothbrushes.

It will be evident that many specific forms of guard means may be designed to accomplish the main purpose of this invention, for example, such as those disclosed in my earlier filed co-pending applications, Serial No. 691,273, filed August 17, 1946, now Patent No. 2,533,106, issued December 3 5, 1950, Serial No. 691,979, filed August 21, 1946, now Patent No. 2,533,107, issued December 5, 1950, and Serial No. 692,270, filed August 22, 1946, now Patent No. 2,533,108, issued December 5,

In order further to distinguish the forms of the invention disclosed herein from those illustrated and described in my above referred to copending applications, the lip guard herein is preferably formed of wire and constitutes a continuous coil extending outwardly from one end of the handle portion. The term wire as used herein is not intended to limit the inventionetosteel, or other metallic forms of wire, as this term,

is commonly understood since the wire may be formed of thin extruded plastic material, or any other material which maybe suitable for this purpose.

The driving means for rotating the brushielement may embody an electric motor or other driving; meansenclosed within the handle portion. or it may pr s a e ib s a a a te to,b e;c 1. ected to the rear end of the handle portion todrive a rotatable shaft within .the handle :to which-the brush ,element is connected, as more specifically described-in my above reierred, to co-pending applications. The specific .form .01? my invention is ,unimportant since the invention is directedto the form of lip guards which; prevents ,the lip from being drawn against the rotatinabrush element, or from being drawn inwardly; between thebrush and some adjacent iorm oi su po t n mea The present invention embodies a handle member ihav-ing av suitable form of rotatable Shafttherein, as described-in my above referred to. .co-pendine a p c ion Th fo n of the rotatable shaft within the handle 1 may been constructed astoreceive the spindleZ of a brush elemen .3 01.35- to o a ethe bru h when the shaft is rotated.

A;.continuo u s.single .coil'of wire .4 is provided and may be secured at one end ,5 thereof directly toithe forward end. 6. of the. handle I. Therorward nd '1. of 0011A m y beza ta h dato. the-01.- ivard nd o pi dl 2 o th brush l m nt, whereupon the coil and spindle may mutually support each other The singlecoil of wire will extend-lenethwisev of, t e rush lementandiwil pre er bly, l hou h not n c s rily s rreund the spindle, as-shownin Fig. 1-.

Th spa e .8 betw en the in vidu l coilswill hermit passage of the brush bristles therethrough for cleaning the teethand the'curved surfaces of the coilon each side of theelement willzact asguard means. preventing thelip of theuser from being drawn. inwardly between the bri tles of the brush 3, and the shield 9.

.Theinvention is disclosed herein as beingused in combination with a solid shield to prevent .splattering of toothpaste, if desiredhowever, this shield may be entirely dispensed with because the coil of wire itself extends below the brush element and may have some shielding effect. The fact that the coil extends below the-brush element also enables it to act as a guard and prevent the bristles from contacting the inner soft portions of the mouth whenthatside of-the brush is exposed thereto.

When it is desired to remove the brush element for replacement or cleaning, it is merely necessary to disconnect the forward end of the brush spindle. 2 from the end 1 of. the coil or wire at whichtime it can be merely lifted out.

Erom theforegoing description itvwill be: ap-

4 parent that the present device embodies certain novel forms of lip guards for use in connection with rotary toothbrushes, all of which will efiectively prevent injury to the lip and fleshy portions of the mouth of a user. As stated previously, the brush is intended to be used in such a way that rotation of the brush element is away from the gums. If the toothbrush is constructed sothat thebrush elementalways rotates in the same direction, .then the .lip guard in any case may be located on only one side thereof. Thus, the lip guards disclosed herein may be dispensed withalong one sideof the brush element with- .out departing in any way from the spirit of the invention. The provision of lip guards along both sides'of the rotating brush element may be necessaryhhoweyer if suitable mechanism is provided to reverse'the direction of rotation of the brush.

It will be evident that as the brush rotates a a n thet eth. an ende y to draw-the P orother fleshy portions of the mouth inwardly between the. brush'and the shield willbe .efieotively prevented bythe curvature of the 011,101]. each side of the brush which tend to; guide: the lip outwardly and downwardly and away from the brush bristles. it therefore be evident that I have provided a novelimproyement dip guards for use on rotary toothbrushes'wherein the li of a user is prevented from bein drawn inwardly against the brush. during, rotation thereof.

Changes 1 may bo made =in-;the -.form, construction and arrangementof parts fromcthosadisclosed herein witlr outin any way departing from the spirit-of the invention or ,sacrificingzanycof the attendant advantages thereof, provided, however, that such changes .fall within thescone of the claimsappended hereto.

The invention is hereby claimedzas-follows;

1. A rotary toothbrush ofthe-class described, comprising a handle. portion, a brush element rotetably mqunt d a 118 end ftsaid ihandle. portion, a sh d ,mqunted e a d handle portion adjacent said brush elementhandza singleseries of spacedccofls .Qfi wire extendin lengthwise. of and adjacent said brnsh element with portions thereof between the; peripheral surface of the brush element and thei dees Of.. said shield thereby fo i av u rdytoprevent thelinor fleshy mouth parts of a user from .being; drawn between said brush elementand shield during rotation thereof;

2. A rotary toothbrushof the clas described, compri n a hendle p r ion ie=brushelem nt r 10- tata-bly m t d at one end of; said handle portion, a shield mounted on said handleportion d acent saidzb tush.elemfinfitand a single 01: tinuous coil of wirerextendin clengthwiseorsaid brush elementandsecured at one end thereof to said handle portion; saidcoil pf wire having poi:- tions thereof between thezperipheral surface of said brush element. at both .sides thereofandzthe adj acentsides; of: said shield: thereby to preyent the lip or fleshy mouthzparts .ofra user from being drawn between said brush. element and, shield during rotation thereof.

3.. A rotary-toothbrushiof the .classdescribed. comprising, a handle-portion, ,abrush element-rotatably mounted; atone end. of said" handle. pontion; having a: spindle;- to, support: the: bristles t e eof; a'shieidzmounted nasa dhand e P rt on adjacent a bru -e ement. and a s n l co tinuouseoil, of. wire; extending lengthwise :of said brush element, one end thereof being seguredto said handle portion and the other end thereof supporting the outer end of said spindle, said coil of Wire having portions thereof between the pe ripheral surface of said brush element and said shield whereby the lip or other fleshy mouth parts of a user is prevented from being drawn between said brush element and shield during rotation thereof.

4. A rotary toothbrush of the class described, comprising a handle portion, a brush element rotatably mounted at one end of said handle portion having a spindle to support the bristles thereof, a shield mounted on said handle portion adjacent said brush element, and a single continuous coil of wire extending lengthwise of said brush element and surrounding said spindle and having portions thereof positioned between the periphery Of said brush element and the edges of 6 said shield, whereby the lip or other fleshy mouth parts of a user is prevented from being drawn between said brush element and shield during rotation thereof.

DONALD P. GRO-VER.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 722,131 McPherson Mar. 3, 1903 885,500 Martin Apr. 21, 1908 2,129,002 Gold Sept. 6, 1938 2,533,108 Grover Dec. 5, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 509,432 France Nov. 9, 1920 

